Sunday, October 19, 2008

Rim Banna - Faris Odehريم بنا – فارس عودةFares Odeh

Faris Odeh is the name of a fifteen year old boy who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza during the Second Intifada in the year 2000 for throwing rocks at tanks. He is the boy pictured in this iconic picture:

The butterfly will carry you to the back of a cloudThe gazelle will run with you to a hollow of sycamoreThe scent of bread and will carry you, a martyr, to the embrace of your mother

The star said to him, "take me to the courtyard of my house""Take me to the mattress of my slumber"

Sleepiness climbed up my sidesAnd sat down in my headThe Gazan boy spoke to his shadow

In the mother's heart is a hiding place for her children and her sadnessIn the mother's embrace and her heartThe bereaved mother has a heart of milk and glassThe father who's lost his son has a heart of tears with which he lights the lamp

Egyptian Arabic Course

Hey guys, I've launched a new Egyptian Arabic online course in the blog format using exclusively songs to help learners of Arabic bridge the gap between their knowledge of Standard Arabic and Egyptian dialect. Check it out here.